TRADE & POLICY

Apparel Imports Decline during Recession

(New Zealand) - According to data released by the Council of Textile & Fashion Industries of Australia (TFIA), the onset of the global financial crisis and a dramatic weakening of the Australian dollar resulted in a 16.5 percent fall in apparel imports in 2008. By comparison, New Zealand apparel imports remained on track, climbing 7.8 percent to NZ$1.18 billion - (April, 2010) ... read more>>

New Zealand Has Plenty to Brag About - Pass It On

(New Zealand) - Earlier this month, Kiwi Expat Association (KEA) chairman Sir Stephen Tindall and hip-hop star Savage launched Pass It On, an online initiative that aims to turn almost one million New Zealanders living overseas into a virtual network of ambassadors for all things ‘cool’ and ‘Kiwi’. Our expats are being asked to tell their mates and business contacts about everything that New Zealand has to offer via the new website – particularly while the eyes of the world are upon us, before and during the Rugby World Cup in 2011 - (April, 2010) ... read more>>

Kiwi Cultural Traits To Blame for Export Mediocrity?

(New Zealand) - Why is it that Kiwis are so innovative, yet only achieve mediocre results when it comes to economic performance? This was the big question posed in the recent report commissioned by New Zealand Trade & Enterprise, which looked at the cultural traits holding us back internationally. The report - "Playing to Our Strengths: Creating Value for New Zealand Companies" - suggests that our DIY attitude might be to blame - (Jan, 2010) ... read more>>

Moore Appointed as NZ Ambassador to the U.S

(New Zealand) - Former Labour Prime Minister, Mike Moore, has been named the new ambassador to the United States. Having previously headed the World Trade Organisation, he was nominated to the post by Foreign Minister, Murray McCully, and will replace Roy Ferguson - (Jan, 2010) ... read more>>

Global Economic Growth and Trade in 2010

(New Zealand) - The global economy contracted 2.2 per cent in 2009, but the World Bank is forecasting economic growth of 2.7 per cent in 2010, and a further 3.2 per cent for the following year. Both the U.S and Europe have pulled out of recession and the major emerging markets are continuing to expand rapidly - (Jan, 2010) ... read more>>

CEP with Hong Kong to Go Ahead

(New Zealand) - New Zealand Prime Minister, John Key, announced the conclusion of a Closer Economic Partnership Agreement (CEP) with Hong Kong during the APEC Leaders Meeting in Singapore last month. Hong Kong is currently New Zealand's ninth largest export market and trade has steadily increased over the past decade to NZ$823 million - (Dec, 2009) ... read more>>

Malaysia FTA is a Done Deal

(New Zealand) - Minister of Trade, Tim Groser, says New Zealand's Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Malaysia will provide a significant boost in trade in the South-East Asian region. “Malaysia is New Zealand’s eighth largest export destination, accounting for almost a billion dollars of exports in 2008. Exports to Malaysia have increased 80 percent since 2004, which is more than double the rate of New Zealand’s export growth to the rest of the world" - (Dec, 2009) ... read more>>

First Anniversary for China FTA

(New Zealand) - Trade between New Zealand and China has steadily increased since a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries entered into force a year ago. Two-way trade, or exports plus imports, increased by 23 percent to more than NZ$10 billion and exports to China are now worth $3.5 billion, which shows an increase of 60 percent over the last 12 months - (Dec, 2009) ... read more>>

WTO Review of New Zealand's Trade Policy

(New Zealand) - New Zealand’s fourth Trade Policy Review (TPR) will took place at the WTO in Geneva on June 10-12, 2009. TPRs are a means by which WTO members' trade and trade-related policies are examined and evaluated at regular intervals. New Zealand's prior TPR was in 2003 - (June, 2009) ... read more>>

India-New Zealand FTA

(New Zealand) - In February this year, both New Zealand Trade Minister, Tim Groser, and former Indian Commerce and Industry Minister, Kamal Nath, announced the launch of free trade talks, subject to the approval of both Governments. The New Zealand Cabinet has now agreed to enter into FTA negotiations with India, subject to India’s own approval processes - (June, 2009) ... read more>>

Trade Protectionism and the WTO

(New Zealand) - A March 2009 World Bank publication notes 47 trade restrictive measures have been imposed since the beginning of the global financial and economic crisis. New Zealand has a strong interest in ensuring trade protectionism does not become widespread, with both systemic and real economy reasons for concern - (May, 2009) ... read more>>

New Zealand-India FTA Negotiations Approved

(New Zealand) - Following Cabinet's agreement to enter into Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations with India, subject to completion by India of its own approval processes, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is calling for submissions from interested stakeholders - (May, 2009) ... read more>>

Moving the New Zealand-Japan Economic Relationship Forward

(New Zealand) - Trade Minister Tim Groser announced that New Zealand and Japan are establishing a joint Officials Group to examine ways to further develop our bilateral trade and investment relationship. "We are keen to see the new Officials Group advance our bilateral relationship with Japan. The group has a clear mandate to examine trade and investment issues, including from a free trade agreement (FTA) perspective - (May, 2009) ... read more>>

US Suspends TransPac

(New Zealand) - In a major setback for New Zealand's trade liberalisation agenda, the US administration has suspended its participation in Transpac trade agreement negotiations. According to US President, Barrack Obama, new bilateral and regional agreements will be considered when they promise to deliver "significant benefits consistent with US national economic policies" - (March, 2009) ... read more>>

NZ and Korea Begin FTA Negotiations

(New Zealand) - During a state visit to New Zealand earlier this month, President of the Republic of Korea HE Lee Myung-bak met with Prime Minister John Key for bilateral talks. Both agreed that Free Trade Agreement negotiations between the two countries should begin as early as possible - (March, 2009) ... read more>>

Breathing Space for Struggling Businesses

(New Zealand) - "The idea of a nine-day fortnight was one of the most popular to emerge from last month's Job Summit. However, we recognised that cutting up to 10 hours a fortnight from workers' pay packets simply wouldn't be manageable for many families. To that end, the Government is stepping in to do its bit," says Paula Bennett, Minister for Social Development and Employment - (March, 2009) ... read more>>

Trade Credit Changes to Help Exporters

(New Zealand) - Minister of Trade, Tim Grocer, announced that the New Zealand Export Credit Office (NZECO) will provide short-term trade credit insurance for exporters. Short-term trade credit insurance is used as a guarantee to banks that an exporter will be paid in accordance with a supply contract. "These new measures will help to ensure trade opportunities won't be missed, which is crucial in the current economic environment," says Grocer - (February, 2009) ... read more>>

Minumum Wage Going Up

(New Zealand) - The National government has moved to increase the minimum wage by NZ$0.50c to $12.50 per hour, in an attempt to find a balance between protecting jobs and ensuring fair pay for workers. Minister of Labour, Kate Wilkenson, says the increase is inline with the consumer price index and that maintaining the purchasing power of workers is essential in combating the economic downturn - (February, 2009) ... read more>>

Apparel Supply Chain At Risk

(United States) - The number of suppliers actively servicing the U.S apparel market dropped more than 70 percent in just three months last year, according to a report released by Panjiva, an American firm that collects and disseminates data on global suppliers and manufacturers. From July to October, the number of suppliers fell from 22,099 to 6,262 - (February, 2009) ... read more>>

Visa Free Travel to the U.S

(New Zealand) - From January 12 onwards, Kiwis traveling to the U.S under the Visa Waiver Programme (VWP) will be required to obtain an electronic travel authorisation prior to boarding their carrier. The Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) is an automated online system that determines whether visitors are eligible to travel to the U.S under VWP - (January, 2009) ... read more>>

Korea-New Zealand FTA

(New Zealand) - A second round of preparatory FTA talks between New Zealand and the Republic of Korea were held in Wellington from November 26-27, 2008, following an initial meeting in Seoul, held back in September. The discussions allowed enabled both sides to gain a deeper understanding of their respective approaches to FTAs, as well as the sensitivities involved - (January, 2009) ... read more>>

Joint Study Group on NZ-India FTA

(New Zealand) - Last year, Indian Commerce Minister, Hon Kamal Nath, and former Minister of Trade, Hon Phil Goff, agreed to undertake a joint study into the implications of a free trade agreement between India and New Zealand. That study is now well advanced and the discussions have been both positive and constructive - (January, 2009) ... read more>>

Buy Kiwi Made Campaign Axed

(New Zealand) - The new National Government has suspended the Buy Kiwi Made campaign. Minister of Economic Development, Gerry Brownlee, announced that no additional funds will be committed to the campaign, unless a review shows it to be effective - (December, 2008) ... read more>>

90-Day Hire And Fire Bill Passed

(New Zealand) - New workers in small businesses, with 20 or fewer employees, can now be sacked within 90 days of starting at a job under the Employment Relations Amendment Act. Minister of Labour, Kate Wilkinson, says the new legislation will encourage small businesses to take a risk and hire more staff, knowing that they won't get caught up in expensive and time consuming personal grievance suits if the person doesn't turn out to be right for the job - (December, 2008) ... read more>>

Australian TCF Sector Benefits From Small Business Grants

(Australia) - Australian TCF (Textile, Clothing and Footwear) businesses are being urged to take advantage of grants totaling A$2.5 million in the latest round of the Federal Government's TCF Small Business Programme. "This program is about boosting the competitiveness of smaller Australian designers and manufacturers in domestic and overseas markets," says Senator Kim Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research - (December, 2008) ... read more>>

U.S Joins Trans-Pacific Agreement

(New Zealand) - New Zealand has welcomed the announcement that the US will enter into comprehensive free trade agreement negotiations to become a full partner to the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement; also referred to as P4. With free trade negotiations about to begin, Fashion Industry New Zealand is calling for recommendations and feedback regarding rules of origin and market access for clothing and textiles into the US, to be included in an industry submission - (November, 2008) ... read more>>

Beachheads Fosters US Connections

(New Zealand) - Representatives of 35 New Zealand companies connected with 26 North American and global advisors during the Beachheads Conference in San Francisco last month. The gathering of about 60 New Zealand business representatives had one-on-one time with advisors of their choice. They participated in sessions led by experts in marketing, public relations, presentation skills, venture capital and international recruitment. Company feedback was positive, with some citing it as one of the best New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) events they had ever attended - (November, 2008) ... read more>>

Negotiations on the ASEAN–Australia– New Zealand FTA Concluded

(New Zealand) - Following four years of negotiation, negotiations on the ASEAN–Australia–New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA) have been successfully concluded. The announcement came during the annual ASEAN-CER Ministerial meeting in Singapore in late August following a number of key Ministerial meetings at which all outstanding issues of interest to New Zealand in the negotiation were resolved - (November, 2008) ... read more>>

WTO Talks End Without Result

(New Zealand) - World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks in Geneva, aimed at concluding the Doha Development Round this year, ended on 29 July without any final agreement being reached. Speaking from Geneva, New Zealand trade minister, Phil Goff, said it was intensely disappointing that countries were unable to bridge some differences, when they were so close to finalising the agreement - (September, 2008) ... read more>>

Swedish Style New Zealand

(New Zealand) - For the first time ever, Swedish Style comes to New Zealand, 18-25 October 2008. Auckland will host Swedish Style in New Zealand for one week in October, presenting Sweden in the fields of design, art, gastronomy and sustainability- (September, 2008) ... read more>>

APEC Business Travel Card

(New Zealand) - Frequent business travellers to the Asia-Pacific region might want to consider applying for an APEC Business Travel Card, an initiative aimed at making travel in the region easier. APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) promotes closer economic relationships in the Asia-Pacific region to improve conditions for regional trade and investment, and raise the living standards of its members - (September, 2008) ... read more>>

Good Progress Towards India-New Zealand FTA

(New Zealand) - Trade Minister, Phil Goff, and Indian Commerce and Industry Minister, Kamal Nath, have welcomed the strong progress being made towards a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries. Accompanied by an Indian business delegation, Nath met with Goff in New Zealand at the end of May to discuss issues around trade and a potential bilateral FTA. During his two-day visit, he also met with ministers Jim Anderton and Lianne Dalziel, along with a number of businesses in Auckland and Queenstown - (August, 2008) ... read more>>

Japan: Joint Economic Partnership Agreement Study

(New Zealand) - Prime Minister Helen Clark's visit to Japan has resulted in an agreement to undertake a Joint Economic Partnership Study. A key objective of Clark's visit to Japan from May 13-15, her third visit as Prime Minister, was to step up the pace of the New Zealand-Japan bilateral relationship by emphasising the scope for cooperation in a variety of fields and specifically to make progress on a closer economic partnership with Japan - (August, 2008) ... read more>>

New Children's Nightwear Labelling Now Effective

(New Zealand) - Consumers will soon be seeing new labelling on children's nightwear. "The most commonly available nightwear will carry a new label in an orange colour, so it's easy to read the caution - 'Not Heat or Flame Resistant, Wear Snug-Fitting to Reduce Risk," says Consumer Affairs Minister, Judith Tizard. The new label must be used when nightwear is made of higher fire risk fabric, but is styled to fit snugly to reduce fire risk; such as cotton and flannelette pyjamas - (August, 2008) ... read more>>

China FTA Implementation Phase Begins

(New Zealand) - Since the signing of the New Zealand-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on April 7, 2008, a number of initiatives have been implemented to help New Zealand businesses take advantage of the FTA. The NZ-China FTA Roadshow, which took place in Wellington, Auckland, Hamilton, Christchurch and Dunedin, showed the high level of interest the New Zealand public has, not only in the FTA, but in actually doing business in China. There was a good turn out at each of the main centres, with Auckland drawing 450 participants and more than 200 people attending in Wellington and Christchurch - (July, 2008) ... read more>>

ASEAN Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement

(New Zealand) - Following the 14th round of the FTA negotiations between the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), Australia and New Zealand, the shape of a credible and commercially meaningful deal is beginning to emerge. Held in Brisbane from April 21-26, the main outcomes of the 14th round of FTA negotiations included further progress on all of the chapter texts of the agreement, including goods, services, investment, rules of origin, customs facilitation and intellectual property rights - (July, 2008) ... read more>>

NZTE Creates Business Space in Shanghai with Concept Centre

(New Zealand) - New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) will open a New Zealand Concept Centre in Shanghai in October, providing an entry point for New Zealand companies looking to do business in China. The business-to-business initiative will help companies build connections, brand visibility and capability to grow their business in the highly competitive market - (July, 2008) ... read more>>

Korea & NZ Would Benefit From FTA

(New Zealand) - A Free Trade Agreement (FTA) would bring substantial benefits to Korea and New Zealand according to a recently completed study, announced Trade Minister Phil Goff. Jointly undertaken by the Korean Institute for International Economics (KIEP), the New Zealand Institute for Economic Research (NZIER), and the Australian Centre for International Economics (CIE), the study concluded that an FTA would be in the interests of both countries for economic, political and strategic reasons - (June, 2008) ... read more>>

Trade Talks With The United Arab Emirates

(New Zealand) - Trade Minister Hon Phil Goff hosted the United Arab Emirates Minister of Foreign Trade He Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi for trade talks in Wellington on 5 March. This was the second session of trade talks with the UAE under the aegis of the NZ/UAE Joint Ministerial Trade and Economic Commission - (June, 2008) ... read more>>

Launch Of New Zealand-Turkey Economic Stocktake

(New Zealand) - Trade Minister Phil Goff launched a New Zealand-Turkey Economic Stocktake on the 31st of March. Reviewing the outlook for both economies and prospects for further business and economic activity was proposed by Mr Goff when he visited Turkey in 2006, and agreement to conduct a stocktake was one of the outcomes of his visit - (June, 2008) ... read more>>

25th Anniversary of CER

(New Zealand) - March marked the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Australia-New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Trade Agreement (ANCERTA). A quarter of a decade on, CER is regarded by the WTO as "the world's most comprehensive, effective and mutually compatible Free Trade Agreement (FTA)" - (April, 2008) ... read more>>

New Zealand-China Free Trade Agreement

(New Zealand) - The New Zealand-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was signed in Beijing on 7 April, 2008, by Minister of Trade, Phil Goff and Chinese Minister of Commerce, Chen Deming. Prime Minister, Helen Clark, and her counterpart, Premier Wen Jiabao, witnessed the signing in a ceremony at the Great Hall of the People - (April, 2008) ... read more>>

Australia-New Zealand ASEAN FTA

(New Zealand) - The outcome of the 13th round of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations between the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), Australia and New Zealand, was better than expected, but not as good as hoped - (April, 2008) ... read more>>

WTO Doha Round

(New Zealand) - After setbacks in 2007, the level of activity in the WTO Doha Round negotiations is building. Key players, such as Brazil, the EU, US and China have signalled their commitment to a successful conclusion to the Round in 2008. But, there is still a lot of work to do in the individual negotiating groups before decision texts can be put in front of ministers for resolution of outstanding issues - (April, 2008) ... read more>>

Australia – New Zealand – ASEAN FTA

(New Zealand) -  The 12th Round of FTA negotiations between the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), Australia and New Zealand took place in Cambodia in December. While there remains significant work to do in order to bridge differences in the core areas of goods, services and investment negotiations, there is agreement that negotiations should be concluded by mid-2008 - (March, 2008) ... read more>>

Beachheads appointment paves way for business in China

(New Zealand) -  Last month, Trade Minister, Phil Goff, and Economic Development Minister, Pete Hodgson, announced that the government is to develop a Beachheads programme in China to assist New Zealand companies wanting to do business in that country - (March, 2008) ... read more>>

Minister of Trade visits North Africa

(New Zealand) -  The Honourable Phil Goff, Minister of Trade, travelled to Morocco, Algeria and Libya from January 14 to 25, 2008. The main purpose of the visit was to explore opportunities for stronger New Zealand engagement with this emerging region. The Minister of Trade made calls on senior officials and was supported by industry representatives from Tait Electronics, 4RF, Fonterra, Sealord and Les Mills International - (March, 2008) ... read more>>

Climate Change Negotiations

(New Zealand) -  The annual United Nations conference on climate change was held in Bali in December. The principal outcome from the conference was the launch of the ‘Bali Roadmap’ – a two-track negotiation process aimed at establishing a new, comprehensive international framework to address global climate change beyond 2012. The deadline for concluding these negotiations has been set as December 2009 - (March, 2008) ... read more>>

New Zealand-China FTA Update

(New Zealand) - The 15th Round of negotiations on the New Zealand-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA) were held in Beijing in December 2007 and the agreement looks on track to be signed in April. Substantive negotiations on all issues were completed at the Round. On the basis of this progress, negotiators are confident that a comprehensive, high quality and balanced agreement can be concluded and that the remaining technical work can be completed in time for signature in April 2008 - (February, 2008) ... read more>>

APEC 2008: First Senior Officials Meeting in Peru

(New Zealand) - Officials from several New Zealand agencies attended the first Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) senior official's meeting for 2008 in Lima, Peru from 20 February to 3 March. Each year, a different APEC member hosts a series of meetings. Peru, as APEC host for 2008, has set out its key themes for this year. The themes include advancing regional economic integration, trade liberalisation and facilitation, and corporate social responsibility - (February, 2008) ... read more>>

United States Joins P4 Negotiations

(New Zealand) - The United States has announced that it will join negotiations on financial services and investment with the four ‘P4’ countries including New Zealand, and at the same time begin a process aimed at possible participation in a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement with the group - (February, 2008) ... read more>>

New Zealand Products in the Netherlands

(New Zealand) - EnjoyNZ is a cluster of New Zealand wine, clothing, food, travel, outdoor equipment and beauty product suppliers in the Netherlands. The companies which form EnjoyNZ have come together under a single brand to showcase lifestyle products and services that are distinctly ‘New Zealand’ - (February, 2008) ... read more>>

The Shipping News

(New Zealand_Geoff Merz) - Importers and exporters need to be aware of the problems that occur during the Christmas delivery period - it's that time of the year where things that can go wrong, usually will go wrong.

New Zealand isn't the only country in the world that enters into peak retail sales during December. In fact, we're small fry and in this game preference is given to servicing markets with greater volume. And, in the lead-up to Christmas, airfreight was limited coming into New Zealand from the US, Europe and Asia, with back-logs and delayed deliveries from almost every destination - (16 January, 2008) ... read more>>

WTO Doha Round: Update

(New Zealand) - Negotiations in the WTO Doha Round continue to make incremental progress, but it looks unlikely that the structure of tariff and subsidy cuts and related rules for agriculture and industrial goods (so-called ‘modalities’) will be agreed by year’s end.

Revised draft modalities texts may not emerge until early 2008, and possibly not until after the late-January meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. That leaves a narrow window for getting any deal through the US Congress ahead of the 2008 Presidential elections - (16 January, 2008) ... read more>>

Europe and New Zealand Trade Talks

(New Zealand) - There has been a significant development in New Zealand’s relationship with the European Union, with inaugural trade policy talks held in Brussels on 7 November, 2007. New Zealand and the European Commission have for some years held regular talks on agricultural trade issues, but this new forum has been set up for discussion on the wider trade agenda - (16 January, 2008) ... read more>>

New Zealand–India FTA Joint Study

(New Zealand) - At the New Zealand–India Joint Trade Committee’s 9th meeting in Wellington on 26 October, New Zealand and Indian government officials reached agreement on the draft terms of reference for the Joint Study Group to examine the feasibility and scope of a Free Trade Agreement between the two countries - (16 January, 2008) ... read more>>

Export Year – Platform for the Future

(New Zealand) - A commitment by Government and the private sector to continue working closely together has been announced as one of the keys to ensuring that the momentum of Export Year 2007 continues into the future. The Export Year Platform for the Future document was formally launched by Economic Development Minister Hodgson in mid-November - (16 January, 2008) ... read more>>

Auckland Leads the Country in Support of its Creative Industries

(New Zealand) - Auckland City Council has received a national award from Creative New Zealand for its leadership in supporting the creative industries - (20 August, 2007) ... read more >>

New Zealand’s Got it Made

(New Zealand) - In the first phase of the Government’s Buy Kiwi Made media campaign, an insert celebrating New Zealand manufacturers was distributed via the country’s major newspapers and magazines late last month - (06 August, 2007) ... read more>>

Kiwi Duty Rates Reduced

(New Zealand_Geoff Merz) - Duty rates for specific goods entering New Zealand were reduced as of July 1, 2007, bringing apparel down to 15 percent, knitted fabrics and woven woolens to 7.5 percent, and footwear to 15 percent - (06 August, 2007) ... read more>>

China Export Tax Subsidies Removed

(New Zealand _Geoff Merz) - In an effort to slow its economy, China removed most of its export tax subsidies as of July 1, 2007, which will result in increased prices. In most instances, we understand that this will be around 10 percent on FOB - (06 August, 2007)

International Freight Rates Continue to Climb

(New Zealand_Geoff Merz) - Last month, freight rates were increased across both air and sea shipments. Most shipping lines hiked rates by (US)$100.00 per 20ft container, while fuel surcharges rose by (US)$75.00 on some trade lines. Airfreight rates have climbed on the direct route from Shanghai to New Zealand and fuel surcharges are starting to move again on some airlines - (06 August, 2007)

New Truck Booking System for Ports of Auckland

(New Zealand_Geoff Merz) - A new system of truck bookings for uplifting containers from the Ports of Auckland is being trialed. Not a happy venture, I would suspect, as we’ve already experienced this in Australia - (06 August, 2007) ... read more>>

Security Checks & Delays on the Rise

(New Zealand_Geoff Merz) - There are no short-cuts if your container is stopped for X-ray or an MAF check of contents. Delays in actually booking these examinations has increased by up to three days, with any additional cartage costs and container detention or handling fees being charged to the account of the importer or exporter - (06 August, 2007) ... read more>>

Keep it Compliant & Penalty Free

(New Zealand) - Everyone is so time poor nowadays that firms have a tendency to run on their own ... with a small army of accountants, lawyers and consultants employed to ensure that we comply with the legal requirements of doing business. For exporters and importers, a major 'piece' of compliance is the NZ Customs Act and Regulations. And, in the apparel and textile sector, the public face of NZ Customs is frequently found in the airport arrivals hall - (18 June, 2007) ... read more >>

Changes to Trans-Tasman Rules of Origin

(New Zealand) - New rules of origin under the Australia-New Zealand CER trade agreement came into effect on 1 January, 2007. A change in tariff classification (CTC) largely replaces the 50 percent regional value content (RVC) threshold required for goods to qualify for duty-free entry - (13 April, 2007) ... read more >>

Don’t Get Caught Out by Territorial Waters

(New Zealand) - Duty rates on apparel will drop from 17 to 15 percent for shipments arriving in New Zealand’s territorial waters after 1 July, 2007. Most importers should be aware that vessels enter our territorial waters upon passing the North Cape - (13 April, 2007) ... read more >>

Tighter Security for European Exports

(New Zealand) - New security measures have been introduced for European exports, which focus on conditions of the ‘known shipper' - (13 April, 2007) ... read more >>

MAF and Customs Ramp Up Checks & Examinations

(New Zealand) - Importers should be aware that there have been a number of changes to Ministry of Agriculture & Forestry (MAF) and Customs compliance for goods entering New Zealand - (13 April, 2007) ... read more >>

Small Oversights Lead to Big Problems

(New Zealand) - With security and checks on the rise, Customs across many countries are sharing information more freely. Therefore, any anomalies in transactions will sooner or later become apparent to authorities controlling our own borders - (13 April, 2007) ... read more >>

Gains To Be Had From Duty-Free Concessions & Drawbacks

(New Zealand) - Kiwi manufacturers should be aware that there are a number of duty-free concessions available on fabrics and yarns that are dutiable when imported to New Zealand. Certain requirements need to be met, but manufacturers should take advantage of these concessions - (13 April, 2007) ... read more >>